This invention relates to a hydraulic wind power conversion system and more particularly to an energy transducer and system to optimize the power conversion in such a system, and to instrumentation by which optimization is achieved.
The present invention provides improvements and additional features relating to my Pat. No. 4,299,198 issued Nov. 10, 1981, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention is directed to a hydraulic system having an adjustable annular constriction or orifice, and associated power-measuring instrumentation to facilitate the adjustment of this orifice to obtain the proper orifice opening for a perfectly matched load. At this optimum setting, the wind power conversion system is at maximum efficiency to thus maximize its conversion of wind power to heat.
The invention further relates to electronic instrumentation which processes, accumulates, and displays the total of the heat energy derived from the hydraulic power.
In the invention a constriction in the form of an annular opening between the end of a cylindrical spool and a circular orifice, i.e. a spool value, is adjusted during steady wind velocity conditions for maximum hydraulic power as indicated by a peak reading on the associated power measuring device. The fact that maximum power peaks do exist under steady wind conditions was clearly demonstrated in the referenced patent. After the best setting of the annular opening is obtained, the adjustment is locked down and needs no further attention because the system will now extract the maximum power possible from the wind regardless of its velocity.
The power indicating device obtains its output signal by multiplying the pump's rotational speed by the hydraulic pressure generated by the pump. The rotational speed and the pressure across the orifice are derived from suitable transducers which sense these quantities. The multiplying process can utilize any one of several techniques, and the readout display can be analog or digital.
The heat-energy totalizer transforms the power signal into a frequency signal by means of a voltage-controlled oscillator. A counting chain continuously totals the cycles and periodically displays the cycle count which is proportional to the total heat energy obtained from the hydraulic conversion process and therefore from the wind.
The invention can be summarized as a manually adjustable hydraulic valve for optimizing the conversion of hydraulic energy to heat in a hydraulic windpower conversion system. Power indicating instrumentation includes a combination of a pump speed transducer and a hydraulic pressure transducer arranged with appropriate circuitry for multiplying the two parameters to thereby determine power. The resultant product (power) is displayed on a readout device showing in real time the power conversion in the system. Heat energy totalizing instrumentation includes a voltage controlled oscillator to convert the power signal to a frequency signal, a counting chain to continuously total the cycles, each cycle representing a discrete amount of energy, and a readout which periodically displays the accumulated cycle count, the total representing the amount of heat energy extracted from the wind.